In This Life
by bintangdisurga
Summary: Hermione and her friends are in the 7th year at Hogwarts. When an expelled Draco Malfoy makes his appearance at the school, what will happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Aeternalis," he muttered the password sotto voce.

The gargoyle jumped over to the side to reveal the door, which he pushed open gently. The young man strode into the room, his dark robes billowing behind him. Silently, he made his way over to the Headmistress.

"Professor McGonagall," he nodded as means of appraisal. "Thank you for allowing me to see you. I have something to discuss with you."

The stern-looking woman removed her glasses. She looked directly at him.

"I know, I was expelled over what happened last year," he started, his silver-grey eyes gazing searchingly at her face. "But, please. I'd like to continue with my studies here, at Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall was silent for a moment. She thought over his wish. Then she spoke, "Give me a reason why I should accept your request."

He heaved a heavy sigh. "It's like this…"

"Very well," Professor McGonagall made her decision. "Your request is granted. But a single serious offence from you, young man, I wouldn't hesitate to expel you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor," came the reply.

"I'm giving you a second chance. By appointing you as Head Boy, I hope the heavy responsibility will instil some discipline in you. And for the time being, I'll excuse you from having meals at the Great Hall. Until you've gotten over your predicament, you may be excused from all classes and activities."

"Thank you, Professor"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

He pushed open the door to his bedroom. His trunk was set on his bed. He pulled it down, his actions almost lazily. Pushing a stray strand of platinum blonde hair away from his face, he slowly sat down on his bed.

Then the tears started to fall.

Hermione Granger practically dragged her feet into the Heads' common room. As Head Girl, she had just finished patrolling the whole school grounds. Usually, the Head Boy would patrol half the school while the Head Girl would patrol the other half. However, this year, for some reason or another, the Head Boy was not selected.

She took off her shoes as she made her way up the staircase that led to the bedrooms. Her feet were killing her. Hermione was already envisioning herself having a relaxing and aromatherapic bath before turning in. that would simply be heavenly.

Hermione was about to walk past the Head Boy's bedroom to head for hers when she noticed something amiss. The door was slightly ajar. Hermione bit her lip as she edged towards it. She could hear faint sobs as she neared it. Holding her breath, surreptitiously she peered through the crack. At the same time, her hands pushed the door further.

What greeted her sight almost made her faint in shock.

"Draco Malfoy?" she exclaimed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Draco quickly wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. Fervently controlling his emotions, he turned around to the voice that floated in from the doorway.

"What do you want?" he asked her rather harshly. He was in no mood to be arguing or smirking around at this time. Especially not around a brainy Mudblood.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Hermione fired tersely, her voice dripping with venom. "Why are you not back at Malfoy Manor, looking for your mummy and crying over your expulsion last year?"

The words hit Draco hard. He glared at her, his elegant grey eyes growing stormy for a moment. Hermione, in return, transfixed him with a cool gaze of her own as if challenging him for a tart rejoinder.

At the same time, Hermione was silently taking in his features. His deep-set grey eyes showed flashes of anger and defiance, but at the same time they also held unbidden sorrow and pain. His soft blonde hair accentuated his thin, pointy face. In short, he looked so…pristine. Like a fallen angel.

"Get out," Draco's soft command unchained her train of thoughts. "Please. Leave me alone."

Hermione snapped back to reality. "Wh-what did you say?"

Draco closed his eyes and rested his face in his hands. "Granger, get out of my room, okay? Leave me alone!"

She shook her head. "Not until you tell me why you're here," she retorted stubbornly.

Draco rose from his bed and walked towards her. Roughly, he grabbed Hermione and pinned her to the wall. Hermione almost gasped as she looked into his eyes.

"Same reason as to why you're her," he answered her, his tone frozen with ice. "Now, if you don't mind, Mudblood. I'd like to have a shower to eradicate this room of your filthy scent."

Without another word, the young Malfoy haughtily walked off, leaving Hermione seething after him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Hermione stormed into the Headmistress's office. She gritted her teeth as she contained her anger. Malfoy was never going to know how much those words hurt her.

Professor McGonagall looked up from the paperwork she had been studying earlier on. Her face was a mask of surprise and confusion at the sight of such an irate Head Girl.

"Yes, Ms Granger?" Professor McGonagall queried.

"Professor, why is Draco Malfoy in the Heads' room?" she blurted out angrily. "Wasn't he expelled last year?"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips as she regarded Hermione. She wearily waved her hand to seat in front of her desk. Reluctantly, Hermione sat down.

"I've agreed to his request to continue with his studies here," Professor McGonagall elucidated, offering Hermione a cup of which she politely declined. "Mr Malfoy has certain rules which he has to adhere to. Rules that are far more stricter than the normal school rules. I felt the need to discipline him, thus making him the Head Boy. Any slight abuse of his authority and he'd be immediately expelled."

"But Professor, he tried to kill Professor Dumbledore last year!" Hermione objected, her brown eyes blazing with eminent fury. "How could he be allowed in this school?"

Professor McGonagall eyed her steadily. She had expected it. The students and the staff could not easily forgive Draco Malfoy for what he had done last year. Nor could they forget the destruction he had brought to Hogwarts.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Ms Granger," Professor McGonagall tried to explain the whole situation again. "And everybody deserves a second chance. Including Mr Malfoy. We can't simply judge him by that one mistake he made!"

Then her tone softened, "Learn to forgive him, Ms Granger. No doubt the whole school must be despising him now. But if you could forgive him, I'm sure that the rest of the school population could accept him again. He's going through very difficult times, Ms Granger. Don't make him more troubled than he already is."

Hermione held back a snort. "What problems could such a rich Pureblood like him have?"

Professor McGonagall smiled thinly at her retort. "I've been sworn to secrecy, Ms Granger. It's for you to find out own your own accord. I believe Mr Malfoy hadn't had his dinner yet. I hope you could bring up something from the kitchen for him to eat. The house elves are still not aware of his presence."

Hermione obliged. She thanked the Headmistress and hurried to the kitchen. Professor McGonagall seemed so grave on the matter. What in the world could be troubling Malfoy?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

The refreshing cold water splashed his face as water from the shower rained down on him. He slicked back his soaked blonde hair. Everything that had happened less than six months ago came back to him…

They shoved him to the ground. Draco winced in pain as he tried to get up. He could feel the numerous wounds on his back, blood gushing out of them.

_Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the Death Eaters dragging his mother in. Narcissa Malfoy was almost unrecognisable. Her clothes were torn and tattered. Blood matted her hair, sticking to her equally bloodied and bruised face. Her limbs hung helplessly by her side. Draco choked back a sob. They had broken all her arms and legs. Day in and out, he heard that despicable Voldemort performing all sorts of curses on her. His mother's shrieks always reached his ears, but he was unable to do anything about it. Each time a Death Eater nearly killed her with an Avada Kedavra curse, Voldemort would stop him or her._

"_I'd like to enjoy the vista of her sufferings," he would say. "I'm sure young Draco will be entertained as well."_

_It was all done away from Draco's sight, behind closed doors. However, tonight was a different story. Tonight the mother and son would see one another being tortured – to death._

"_Crucio." Voldemort's cold, hard voice floated into Draco's ears._

_Draco screamed in agony. With a flick of Voldemort's wand, Draco's limbs were contorted and juxtaposed at such horrible and unimaginable positions. Voldemort would not break his arms, Draco knew that. He would inflict just enough for Draco to feel the searing pain of his torture, and break Narcissa's heart._

"_Stop it!" in the midst of his horrifying execution, Draco heard his mother's weakened pleadings. "Don't hurt him, please. Vent out all his punishments on me, if you must. But please, leave my son alone. He's too young!"_

"_Sectumsemptra!" Voldrmort thundered, his wand aimed at Narcissa's arm. The curse was on target. Crimson liquid leaked from her wound profusely._

"_Mother!" Draco sobbed out, fighting against the Cruciatus curse to no avail._

_Narcissa launched into a steady barrage of Latin, gazing steadily at her son. Draco could make no sense of what she was uttering, but it sounded so familiar to him._

"_He will never be able to lay a finger on you, Draco," Narcissa breathed out raggedly. "Never. Trust me."_

_Draco's eyes widened as realization hit him. Those string of Latin words were part of an ancient Latin protection spell. Any harm inflicted on the protected person would deflect and be inflicted on the caster instead. Even if the caster was dead._

"_Wonderful, Narcissa," Voldemort interjected, clapping his hands mockingly. "I'm so touched. You've just made Draco's torture much more easier for me. Much more.."_

_The sinister lord whirled around to look at Draco with his contemptuous red eyes. "Enjoyable," he finished, smirking as if what he was proposing to Draco was gift from heaven._

_Draco gritted his teeth, containing the building fire inside of him. He wanted so much to wipe that condescending smirk out of the lord's face. Hell, he wanted him dead._

_Voldemort crouched next to Draco. Gently, he lifted Draco's chin with his index finger so much so that the young Malfoy's grey eyes were level with his burning red ones._

"_Perhaps you forgot I can read your mind," Voldemort lowered his voice so that only Draco could hear him. "You wished for death didn't you? I'll give you death."_

_Still looking at Draco, Voldemort pointed his wand towards Narcissa._

"_Avada Kedavra," he hissed._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Draco turned over in his bed. His gaze fell on the night sky beyond the windows. It took me three months to escape, he thought bitterly. Three **_bloody_** months. I saw Mother being killed right in front of me, but what did I do? I lay there, and cried.

Voldemort had thrown him back into his musty cell for further torturing in the later days. When he was first captured, he had accepted it as his punishment for failing to kill Dumbledore. Snape had to complete the task for him. But when his mother was forced to join the tortured fray, Draco knew it was for Voldemort's own dark pleasure. After her death, he had made his mind up to escape.

The guile that runs through the Malfoys' blood had helped him to attain his goal. Some Death Eaters were just plain stupid. A few tricks of words did it. Draco found himself armed with his wand, killing any Death Eaters that crossed his path. He came to a clearing and hastily Apparated himself back into Malfoy Manor.

Malfoy Manor was just as dead and gloomy as Draco's mood that night. The former castle was palacious, yet cold and empty. Draco did not see any point in staying at his home. He was guardian-less: his mother was dead, and Lucius Malfoy was still locked up in Azkaban. The house elves were fired. Draco had raced through the house, casted a simple minimising charm on his and his mother's treasure and hurried to Gringotts. By the time he reached there, the bank was only starting to open its doors to the public. With his family name's influence, Draco managed to create a new account under a different name and stored all his treasures there.

Draco kept shifting places every week or so. For the next three months, Draco felt like fugitive. Yet he still managed to keep up with his lavish lifestyle. Hiding away did not mean he has to stop frequenting fancy restaurants. Besides, he had more than enough wealth stashed in Gringotts.

A particular star in the sky shone more brightly than usual. Narcissa used to tell him as a child, "If you're ever scared, Draco, look up at the sky. There will be a star shining down on you. And I will be that star."

A soft, innocent smile caressed Draco's features. He knew that his mother was still looking after him


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

" 'I believe Mr Malfoy hadn't had his dinner yet' ," Hermione mimicked Professor McGonagall as she returned to the Heads' room, tray of food in hand. "What does she take me for? His maid? Well, you know what, I couldn't give a damn even if Malfoy shrivelled to death!"

"Now, that sounds a bit harsh," Nearly Headless Nick interposed, appearing beside the eighteen-year-old Head Girl. "I reckon even you wouldn't want to see him in that state."

Hermione sighed. She gave the password (Harmony) to the painting and climbed through the hole. Sir Nicholas floated in after her. He could have easily walked through the wall if he wanted to. He was a ghost, after all. But he decided to trail after her, perhaps as a means of company.

"It's not that, Sir Nicholas," Hermione confessed. "But do I have to spearhead everything? Including Project Let's-Forgive-Malfoy. I mean, why didn't Professor McGonagall simply tell the house-elves that Malfoy is here? So if he's anywhere near dying of hunger, he could have one of them to send him food."

"Perhaps she has her own reasons for not doing so," Sir Nicholas opined as Hermione trudged up the stairs. "Malfoy's presence is still unannounced to the rest of the school. Maybe he has the answers. Why don't you ask him over his dinner?"

Hermione said nothing as the ghost disappeared. Silently, she headed towards Draco's room. For some unknown reason, her heart thundered wildly. She had experienced the same feeling earlier on, when Draco pinned her to the wall. Taking a deep breath, she nudged open Draco's slightly closed door with her shoulder.

The room was only illuminated with the warm, yellow-sunset light coming from the green and silver-plated lamp on Draco's bedside table. Draco had furnished his room with hues of forest green and pure silver, adding a regal touch to the colours of the Slytherin house he belonged to.

The new Head Boy of Hogwarts himself was asleep amongst the dark green velvet of his comforter, his initials D.M. embroidered on it with silver threads. Hermione set his food tray on his bedside table, not lifting her eyes off Draco's face.

When he's asleep, he looks so different, she realized suddenly. His hair seems to fall gracefully on his foirehead, just above his eyes. That annoying smirk is gone.

"He looks so innocent," Hermione whispered to the silence encapsulating the room.

Her dark eyes trailed to his lips. Unwittingly, she bent down and kissed him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 

Draco returned her kiss, sitting up as he did so. He wasn't exactly asleep; he just wanted to escape the torrents of questions she would be pouring down on him.

Hermione was startled. She tried to break away but Draco grabbed her waist, trapping her with his lips. She was slowly drowning in his soft and subtle kisses.

Tenderly, he set her down on his bed. Then he broke the kiss. He didn't move from where he was seated, beside Hermione. Instead, he lay on his side, resting his head in his cupped right palm, gazing at her.

"Why did you do that?" he asked her quietly.

"Because I..I.." Hermione racked her brain frantically for an answer. In truth, she herself didn't know why she had reacted in such a way. It could have been on impulse, but would she really tell him that? She decided that evasion was the best defence, "Why did _you _kiss me back?"

"I asked you a question," Draco replied flatly.

"I – I don't know," she tried to answer again. She resisted the urge to reach up a hand to trace his defined cheekbones. "I just felt that I wanted to…I needed to. But I don't know why."

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Then she spoke again, "You still haven't answered my question."

"I just thought it was the right thing to do," he said simply. He gestured towards his food tray, "That's my dinner?"

Hermione nodded. Draco turned his back towards her as he ate in silence. The dinner must have tasted wonderful once upon a time, but then Draco Malfoy never really liked leftovers. He ignored the cold food and reached out for his drink. It was springwater, the finest from Ireland.

Hermione sat up, hugging her knees. Her mind wandered off to the question that had been incessantly pounding her head earlier on.

"Draco, do you.. is there anything troubling your mind?" Hermione raised the question. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Like what?"

"I went to see Professor McGonagall just now, and - "

The glass of springwater clanked on the food tray. Hermione could see the muscles at the back of his neck stiffened as he stood up rigidly. When he turned to face her, his pale eyes were devoid of emotion.

"That's why you kissed me, didn't you?" Draco launched an accusation at her.

Hermione shook her head, her brown bushy hair becoming more frazzled than before. "No, I didn't mean it that way," she denied as calmly as she could.

"What do you take me for, Granger?" he spat, his eyes flashing with fury. "A moronic Mudblood like you? Do you think a soft pathetic kiss can easily win me over? Think again."

Hermione gaped at him in utter shock. She stared at him defiantly, fighting back the tears.

"What?" Draco countered. "Fine, I'll tell you. My father is still locked up somewhere in Azkaban, I was at Voldemort's mercy for three frickin' months and I saw my mother die in front of me! There! Are you satisfied now?"

Hermione felt a stab of guilt. "I didn't know…"

"Well, now you know don't you? Go and tell your stupid friends about it! Have Potty and Weasel laugh in my face. I'll be pleased."

Hermione bit her lip. She quietly got up from his bed and fled the room, her heart crushed.

**Thanks, guys, for your reviews. I admit my earlier chapters were a bit too short for contention. I promise, longer chapters after this but please, I seek your patience..**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

The whole school fell silent. Draco's heart sank as his eyes cut across the Great Hall. He even threw a pleading glance at his Slytherin friends. But Blaise, Pansy and the rest of his so-called friends merely ignored him. The cheery demeanor the students had while making their way down here was now replaced with masks of contempt and hatred.

Professor McGonagall clutched his shoulder, trying hard to assure him. Draco shrugged her off slightly. He thought he was ready to face the music. But thoughts and actions were two different entities; it was actually harder to do something than to think of it.

It had been three weeks since his arrival at Hogwarts. He had been safely ensconced in his room, contemplating what he was going to do. Since the incident during his first night there, Hermione practically stayed away from him. He was non-existent to her. Draco didn't mind, though. The time he had on his own has enabled him to slightly get over his mother's death. He invested a small portion of his wealth in various companies, both in the wizarding and the Muggle world. According to them, his stocks had been rising steadily. Draco knew nuts about stocks but the point is, he was getting richer.

Yet his expandable wealth was unable to obscure the dejection he was feeling now. Earlier on, Professor McGonagall had announced to the school of Draco's presence and his new position as Head Boy. They didn't take the news well.

No whistles or cheers came from the Slytherin table. There was not even a single syllable uttered by the rest of the Houses. At this point of time, Draco would have welcomed any vulgarities aimed at him.

"What else do you want me to do?" Draco voiced out, an air of challenge hovering in his tone. "I've risked my dignity to apologise publicly to all of you. I made myself invisible for nearly a month. You hear that? A month! If all of these aren't enough for you, what is?"

Just then, a dark-haired boy from Ravenclaw with glasses that looked like two magnifying glasses joined together yelled, "We want you to get out of here, murderer! Did the time you spent with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed off your brain cells, Ferret?"

"Yeah, Malfoy. Go join your father in Azkaban! That would really give you a place in history!" others from the different Houses started chiming in.

"Obnoxious bigot!"

"Bumptious git!"

The words smacked Draco one after another. Somewhere in the middle of the cacophony, Draco heard someone shouting something that sounded like s.o.b. Four-letter-words littered every other sentence. They hurt, but Draco opted for a tepid mood. Let them say what they want, he mused as he glanced at the strife breaking out in front of him. I'm going to keep a cool head.

"Death Eater!"

That phrase pushed Draco to the limit. He glowered at the source of the voice. It came from the Slytherin table. Zambini flashed his middle finger at him.

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall and the rest of the staff tried to silence the whole cohort of students. Their efforts proved fruitless. The students' voices swelled at the sound of their screams. More and more students chanted the words "Death Eater!"

Draco could tolerate the swear words and vulgarities. But he lost all patience when they started labeling him something that he wasn't. Something he would never be.

"Silence!" somehow Professor McGonagall managed to amplify her voice, deafening the whole school. "One more word from any of you and you'll be spending detention with me for the next two months! Show some respect for your Head Boy!"

She turned to Draco before averting her gaze back to the rest of the students. "I never expected such.. such.. _depravity_ from my students! We were all brought up with values! With manners! I am deeply ashamed of all of you."

When the crowd still did not speak anything, she pressed on, "You've just insulted an authoritative figure in this school. Where are your manners?"

Draco could see that Professor McGonagall was at her wits' end. He gave one last, long look at his unforgiving schoolmates. They could hate him but they had no right to stamp him a Death Eater.

"It's alright, Professor," Draco mumbled, trying hard to smile. The taut line that stretched his lips, however, looked more like a grimace. "I'm not asking them to forgive me on the spot."

Pulling his robes together, Draco raked his long, pianist fingers through his slicked-back blonde hair. Painfully, he moved away from the Great Hall, not meeting the gazes of the rest of the people there.

The rest of the students were immediately dismissed, with the prefects leading them back to their dormitories. Hermione hastened her steps, the other Gryffindor members dutifully hurrying up after her. She didn't know how to explain to her friends why she had kept Draco's three-week presence at Hogwarts a secret, especially Harry and Ron. They would never understand.

Pockets of 7th year students were still milling about in the Gryffindor Common Room. Most of them were replaying the scenes in the Great Hall, mimicking Draco's bewildered face. Laughter erupted when the words "Ferret" and "bigot popped out. The Gryffindor seniors were contentedly making a mockery out of Draco's humiliation.

"Oh, stop it already!" Hermione bristled. "This is pure Schadenfreude, isn't it? Divulging in his misery? He's human too, you know!"

"Since when is Ferret a human?" Dean asked rhetorically. "Besides, he deserves it for being such a prat!"

"Let me make this clear to all of you," Hermione attempted a repudiation. "Firstly, he has a name. And it's Draco, not Ferret. Secondly, he's your Head Boy. And all of you don't have an inkling as to what he had gone through!"

Ron noticed her mistake. With great repugnance, he lashed out, "Why didn't you tell us about his presence beforehand, Hermione? I mean, we're your friends!"

Perhaps to soften the blow of his tone, he made a face. "And how come you've started calling him Draco? You're not getting sweet on him, are you?"

Hermione threw her hands int o the air as she left them to head for the Heads' room. "You people are unbelievable!" she called out over her shoulders.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

Seeing him advance towards the seat at the ground square, the two Ravenclaw students hastily packed up their stuffs and whisked past him. Draco resisted the urge to grab them by their collars and punch their faces. It's been two months, but aren't they tired of making my life miserable? his heart cried out silently. Sitting down, he threw his books beside him in disgust. _He_ was sick of the situation he was in.

_If I can't get them to give me even a tint of respect or acceptance by playing nice,_ Draco decided, _then it's time to get down and dirty. If being the old me will actually leave an imprint on their minds, it's worth a try._

He spotted a frumpy first year hurrying across the square, her pigtails flailing behind her.

"Hey, you," Draco called out. "Come over here."

The first year nervously swaddled over to him. Somehow, the girl's pink, roeund face reminded Draco of Neville Longbottom.

"You're not from Slytherin, are you?" Draco asked, his words slurring into a drawl.

The girl shook her head. Draco sighed as he slumped in his seat. "Do you know why you're not in it?" he drawled again. "Because you're a Muggle. Know what that means?"

She didn't know. Draco took the chance to explain it to her, in Malfoy terms. "That means you're a _Mudblood. _A filthy, worthless Muggle whom the Ministry wrongly feels should be given a chance to learn magic. You don't deserve to be in this school. Me? Now, I'm not proud to have murderous Death Eaters as parents, but there's still something I'm proud of. You see, unlike you, I'm a _Pureblood_. I'm born to be a wizard. And in this world, no matter how good in magic you are, you'll _never_ be of the same standards of us Purebloods."

Draco sirked triumphantly, leaving the first year shattered in his wake. Deep down, the former Slytherin prince loathed himself.

"Oh come on, Hermione. Just this once," Ron wheedled, clasping his hands in front of him as if to beg. "I couldn't make any sense what Slughorn was saying. I won't copy word for word, I promise. I'll just take a few points or so. Please?"

Hermione declined stubbornly. When would he ever learn that copying others' homework won't help him to be a better student? Her fingers gripped her Potions essay protectively.

"For the last time, Ron," she warned him sternly. "No. You can borrow my library book but you'll have to read it yourself."

"Give it a rest, guys," Harry interjected, frowning at his thorny cat. He had been trying to successfully transfigure his cactus into a cat since afternoon. "Maybe Hermione's right, Ron. Maybe it's all in the book."

Then he glanced up at Hermione hopefully, "Can you help to transfigure my cactus?"

She glared at them furiously. "No! Honestly, we're in the 7th year now. We're graduating! I can't possibly answer your exam questions for you. Or do you really expect me to do so?"

Hermione never found out her answer because at the very same time, Parvati Patil burst into the Gryffindor Common Room. She had a tear-streaked first year in tow. Parvati's fiery countenance actually spooked Ron. Her face was redder than his hair.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, her words laced with worry.

"Malfoy!" Parvati spat, her fingernails digging into the cushion of the sofa Hermione was propped on. "He just called poor Michelle a Mudblood! And he has the bloody cheek to compare her with Purebloods!"

Hermione could hardly believe her ears. Was she hearing it right?

"You'd better do something about Malfoy, Hermione!" Lavender Brown interrupted as she stormed towards them alongside Seamus Finnigan. "He's been going around hexing people, being horrid to everyone! He even locked Seamus in the broom closet!"

Seamus nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah," he added on. "He was even mumbling about leaving behind a memory or something."

Neville crashed though the hole behind the portrait of the Fat Lady. Everyone whirled around to look at him. His chest heaved up and down rapidly, trying to inhale more oxygen into his slightly corpulent body.

"Guys," he wheezed, holding on to the wall for support. "You've got to see this! At the Astronomy Tower. It's -"

The coming chapter will be slightly longer than this. And a special thanks going out to all of you who have been reading this faithfully! 3


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 

"Malfoy," Hermione murmured, her hazel eyes fixed on the figure leaning out of the ledge at the Astronomy Tower.

Neville had fainted out of exhaustion as soon as he mentioned the name. Seamus and Lavender had offered to take him to the hospital wing and Parvati had accompanied the first year back to her room. That left Hermione, Ron and Harry to check out what was actually happening at the Astronomy Tower.

"Blimey! What in the world is he doing up there?" Ron exclaimed, stopping short beside Hermione. Like countless others, he too looked up to see Draco. "I don't reckon he's practicing Quidditch. He hasn't got his broom."

Somehow Ron's remarks sparked the neurons in Hermione's brain cells. Didn't Seamus say that Draco mentioned something about leaving behind a memory earlier? Hermione gasped as the answer dawned upon her. She spun around and took off at a neck-breaking speed.

"Oi, Hermione!" Ron called out after her. Turning to an equally perturbed Harry, he said, "Come on, Harry!"

Malfoy, please hold on, Hermione prayed silently as the door to the Astronomy Tower loomed in sight. Hold on, please.

Ron and Harry managed to catch up with her. They halted in front of her, panting.

"Where _exactly_ are you going?" Harry questioned her as he pushed back his glasses.

"The Astronomy Tower," Hermione replied. Her eyes flitted nervously to the door. "It's Malfoy, guys. I have to stop him."

"But how are you getting _up_ there?" Ron cocked his head in the Tower's direction.

"There are things in this world called staircases, Ron," she shot back sarcastically.

"But that'll take forever! Do you know how high the Tower is?"

"Do you have a better idea then?" Hermione snapped. Harry noticed that under her breath, she was anxiously muttering Malfoy's name.

"We can apparate," Ron said simply.

Hermione stared at him, her eyebrows narrowed together. She was definitely crossed. Harry seemed to agree with what was on her mind.

"Ron, I don't think we can do that on Hogwarts' ground," Harry reminded him weakly.

"Well, that's because you don't have Fred and George as your brothers," Ron explained darkly. "Come on. I'll show you the Apparation Point."

The trio loped through the hole behind the portrait of the Fat Lady, who they had inconveniently woken up from her beauty sleep. Initially, she had refused to let them enter. But after numerous pleadings (and seeing Hermione nearly blowing her up), she swung open to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Ron rushed over to the fireplace. He pulled out his wand and tapped the four corners of the fireplace. When he inched backwards, Harry and Hermione opted for the same move.

"You'd better stay back," Ron advised. He set a firm gaze on the mantelpiece and said, "Ouvert."

The wall began to rumble. The fireplace vibrated violently. Harry swore he could feel the room shuddering, ready to collapse. He wonderd if this was how earthquake tremors feel like. After what seemed to be a full minute, the fireplace had segregated itself from the wall. In place of the fireplace was a low-ceilinged tunnel.

"Okay, this is how you apparate from her," Ron explained as they made their way into the tunnel, crouching and ducking their heads from the ceiling. Fortunately, they arrived in a deeper passageway, allowing them to stand properly. "You think of a certain place where you want to be at and concentrate really hard on it. Then you say the spell. It was a complicated one but Fred managed to make it easier somehow. So all you have to say is… oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

Ron looked at his friends sheepishly. "I can't remember the spell. It has something to do with the rainbow. Richard of … Richard of …"

"Richard of York gave battle in vain," Harry finished for him. "The colours of the rainbow."

Ron nodded. "I don't know why they bothered," he muttered before turning to Hermione. "Alright, Hermione. You'll lead. We'll just hold on to your hands. Think of the place and say the spell. No wands needed."

Ron clutched the handrails of the spiral staircase, his stomach retching. Fred and George didn't tell him that they would be sucked into a vortex! They were vacuumed through a whirly rainbow-coloured vortex within the span of a nanosecond. At the speed they were going, Ron had been sure that all his tendrils and entrails would be spread out beside him when he landed. His thoughts remained an imagination, but it was a nauseating ride nonetheless.

Harry and Hermione had better luck. They sat on the steps, dredging their minds of the awful colours that had been implicated into their sight. Hermione had a faster recovery. Shaking her head one last time, she stood up to make her way up the last flight of stairs.

"Maybe you two should retreat to the Common Room," Hermione suggested, scrutinizing her friends' conditions. "Ron, you look terribly pale. And Harry, you don't look too well either."

"Are you sure you'll be alright going up into the Tower on your on?" Harry expressed his platonic concern. Behind him, Ron retched over the railings once more.

"Well, Malfoy wouldn't hesitate to jump off the Tower if he sees the both of you there," Hermione made a feeble attempt to joke.

Harry shrugged. Flashing her a good-luck smile, he took Ron by the arm and led him down the meandering staircases. It was ardous, especially since Ron's face threatened to vomit after every stop or so. Gradually, they made it to the foot of the tower.

Meanwhile, Hermione scurried up the steps. With her right hand clenching her wand, she reached the platform. An array of Hogwarts teachers greeted her sight.

"Granger," Professor McGonagall briskly acknowledged her. "We're glad to see you. Do you know why Mr Malfoy is acting in such a ridiculous manner?"

Hermione remained silent. Instead, she tried the heavy doors leading into the Astronomy Tower. She lifted the ornate brass handles of a moon and a star and pulled it towards her. It was locked.

Pointing her wand in between the doors, she chanted, "Alohamora."

"It's useless, Ms Granger," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "We've tried that earlier but the door is still locked."

Hermione pulled the doors open successfully. Professor Flitwick understood the whole situation. He added on, "Unless, of course, the spell is cast such that only selected parties are able to penetrate it. Mr Malfoy must have had you on his mind when he cast the spell on the door."

At his words, Hermione sensed that her face had gone red. Composing herself as best as she could, she turned to the teachers questioningly, "I'm sorry, but what did you mean Professor Flitwick?"

"To put it simply, Ms Granger," Professor McGonagall interjected. "It seems that you're the only one who can talk Malfoy out of this mess. Tell me, can you see any energy shield in front of you?"

Hermione took along look at the entrance before nodding. The energy shield was faintly visible, glimmering in front of the entrance in violet sparks. If Professor McGonagall had not asked her about the energy shield, Hermione was certain she would simply walk through it and get electrocuted. Depending on the type of magic the caster made use of, the electrocution could be deadly. Hermione had read somewhere that energy shields from the Dark Arts could kill the trespasser faster than the Avada Kedavra curse. His soul would then be used to strengthen the shield.

"I'll get Malfoy out, Professor," Hermione promised. "But could I ask for a favour?" At Professor McGonagall's nod, she continued, "Please don't expel Malfoy over this incident. If there's anyone to blame, Professor, it would be me. I'm at fault, Professor. I failed to control the students' actions towards Malfoy. I believe that Malfoy's outburst is due to this reason. But I didn't make enough efforts to stop them. I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall assessed her words, weighing out the options in her mind. Secretly, she was reluctant to take any serious action on Draco. The hard time he had hung from the periphery of her awareness. The boy had not asked to be born into the Malfoy family. Professor McGonagall could not help but feel sorry for the young Malfoy. He had been raised wrongly by his parents.

"I understand, Ms Granger," Professor McGonagall broke the silence. But I'm afraid I have to take ten points from you for your negligence. Back to the task at hand, it's confirmed now that you're the only one who can talk Malfoy out of this madness. You're the only one who can see the energy shield. We can't."

When Hermione still did not budge, she ordered, "Now go in there and get Malfoy out! Do bring him to the Hospital Wing later. We'll meet him there."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione pointed her wand at the energy shield and firmly said, "Traversa."

The energy shield dissipated in a blinding flash of white light. Hermione shut her eyes to blank out the brightness. After a while, she opened them again and strode into the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

"Congratulations," Draco drawled, peering down at the crowd below. "You made it through, Granger. I'm impressed that you bothered to come."

Hermione stood at the entrance, arms folded. She wondered how on earth was it possible that she was concerned about such a derisive rankling cockroach. With the manner he was speaking in, any sense of genuine empathy seeped out of her.

"Why haven't you jumped?" she snapped. "I don't see the point of you selecting me to come here."

"I would have jumped if those obtrusive people had gotten out of my way," he remarked, gesturing towards the crowd. "Seeing my cracked skull could cause some … unrest amongst them. Either way, it's impossible to die in peace if you're mobbed by people in all directions."

Hermione exhaled exasperatedly. Draco was back in one of his obnoxious mood. Nothing she said would deter him from ending his depredations. Each word thrown at him would just be derailed into dissent. She did not have time for his little games.

"Spare me your thoughts, Malfoy," her tone was rock solid. "Get down from the ledge."

Draco peered at her from the corners of his eyes, a smirk adorning his face. "No," he said, his words clipped as usual.

"I said get down from there!"

"And I said no!" Draco replied heatedly. "For all your brains, Granger, can't you understand such a simple word?"

Hermione clenched her fists by her side, struggling to contain the frisson of ire that was building up in her. No one could get under her skin as best as Draco, and he knew that. Her hatred for him had simmered down. She could not help but feel a slight worry creeping into her heart. Her granite-hearted half, however, longed to kick him down the tower.

She took a deep breath. She had to keep her emotions at bay. Professor McGonagall had trusted her to save him. If she could not do it straight-forwardly, then she had to use a psychological approach.

"Malfoy, why are you doing this?" she asked gently, advancing slightly towards him. "Why are you making people despise you more?"

Dark silence ensued. Draco gazed out of the ledge absently, his fingers gripping the sides of the wall. Should he tell her? His mind was buzzing. It wouldn't matter, anyway. When the crowd clears, he would jump down and die.

"It's simple, isn't it?" Draco started the conversation quietly. "To hate somebody. To loathe him. To ostracize him. You don't have to care about his feelings or bother to find out who he really is. You just add up all his wrongdoings and label him a villain. That's true, isn't it?"

For the first time in her life, Hermione felt that Draco was talking sense. His words whacked her viciously, as if getting her to admit her fault. To admit that she once hated him.

"Everyone knows my mother's dead, but they don't care how she died," Draco carried on. Every sentence that came caused a surge of emotions to overpower him. "She was immensely tortured before he Avada Kedavra-ed her. Right in front of me. Do you think I enjoyed running away? God, I couldn't even bury my own mother! They're still holding on to her body."

Draco rashly wiped his tears away. Hermione did not bother to wipe hers. He was right; everyone was ignorant about Narcissa. She could not blame them though. Narcissa Malfoy had given rise to so much strife and sufferings within the wizarding world. Hermione would not be surprised if there were people who found happiness in her death.

In this moment, Hermione began to see Draco in a different light. The arrogance and superiority that heralded his every move was simply a mask to hide his actual self. It seemed incredulous but Hermione saw it now : unlike Lucius, Draco was capable of loving someone else, even if it was just his own mother.

"I admit that my mother wasn't the best of witches, but she was a good mother," Draco resumed his confession. "She tried to steer me away from the Dark Arts. She didn't want me to end up like her. But my father …" he faltered as he broke into small sobs. "No one cares about her plight. So I guess I don't deserve anyone's concern either.

"I'm not asking for girls to be running after me like in the previous years. All I'm begging for is a chance to redeem myself. Yet no one was willing to fulfill my wish."

Melancholia ravaged his soul. Hermione could only watch helplessly as Draco lay slumped against the wall, burying his face in his knees. She ehard his loud, racking sobs. If only she could offer a word of consolation or two, but her mind had dried up. She crouched next to him.

"Draco, come on," she cajoled. "Let's go from here."

He shook his head, whimpering, "I don't have a reason to live. No one is willing to give me a chance. I don't even have friends."

Normally, Hermione would have been driven up the wall by such obstinacy. Somehow, she was surprisingly patient with Draco. Reaching out for his hand, she reassured him, "No, Draco. Everyone will give you a chance, but it takes time. And who says you don't have friends? I'll be your friend if you get away from here."

Draco lifted his head slowly. His handsome face was smudged with tears. In a small voice, he asked, "Promise?"

A faint smile stretched the corners of Hermione's lips. Brushing away his tears with her fingers, she whispered, "Promise."

Draco's eyes fluttered open, surveying his surroundings. He was certainly not in his room. This place was far more larger and the windows were too far away from his bed. Draco reached out for the bedside lamp and flicked it on. At the sight of empty beds arranged in neat, parallel rows, he sighed inwardly.

Of course, I'm in the Hospital Wing, he chided himself. Granger brought me here.

He shifted himself to get out of the bed when his grey eyes caught sight of someone. She was hunched on a chair but was resting her head on the side of his bed. Draco allowed himself a smile. His brunette angel still looked ravishing in her sleep. He expressed his well-hidden feelings for her by gently kissing the top of her head. He had never found the courage to tell her his feelings that had been building up in him since their second year.

Hermione stirred and Draco instantaneously backed away. He did not have the heart to wake her up but he did it anyway. Besides, he wanted to get out of the Hospital Wing as fast as possible.

"Oh hey, you're up," Hermione greeted him, smiling as she rubbed her eyes. "How do you feel? Madam Malkin had to sedate you so you would go to sleep."

Draco flashed her a genuine smile. "Much more calmer. How come you didn't go back to your room?"

"You were so distraught just now," she reasoned, rising from her seat. "I wanted to make sure you're okay. Well, since you're conscious, I guess I'll go and get Madam Malkin to discharge you. It's only 5 am but I think that's not going to bother her much."

"Hermione, wait!" Draco called out. Despite himself, he was startled that he had called her by her first name. "I just want to say … thanks. You know, for saving my life."

Hermione laughed softly. "What are friends for, Draco? Get ready, alright? We'll go back to the Heads' room soon."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 

"Look, guys, just give him a chance, okay?" Hermione offered a peace treaty to Harry and Ron. "He's changed. He's no longer a jerk. He's one of the good guys now."

Hermione was getting frustrated. She and Draco were fast in becoming good friends. Much to everyone's surprise, they sat together for almost every lesson. Needless to say, Professor McGonagall was pleased that Hermione was able to befriend Draco. At least it showed that there was someone to aid Draco along the course of his studies at Hogwarts.

Maybe Ron and Harry were jealous, Hermione guessed. After all, she seldom had meals with them in the Great Hall. All her food was delivered to the Heads' room, along with Draco's. Hermione had wanted to spend more time with her new friend, and at the same time, discovering who he really was. Her efforts paid off.

Draco was an undeniably brilliant Potions student. When Snape was still a Hogwarts teacher, he had favoured Draco not only because of the Unbreakable Vow and friendship he had with Narcissa, but also because he saw Draco's potential in the subject. Even after Professor Slughorn became the new Potions teacher, he was able to cope with it. If there was any occasion where he did his potions horribly, it was just for the sake of enjoyment.

Once, after successfully concocting a Simple Truth potion (which was almost similar to the Veritaserum, but with a much weaker effect) with Draco, Hermione had asked him how he managed to do quite well in the fairly difficult subject. She had expected the answer, however. Seeing that he was quite close to Snape, it made perfect sense that Snape must have imparted some of his skills to Draco.

If he was friends with Ron and Harry, they wouldn't waste time in copying his work, Hermione thought wryly.

Ron remained silent, pondering over Hermione's words. Sure, Draco was exceptionally nice to them for the past few weeks, although it seemed to be forced. He stopped by to flash a smile, no longer called him Weasel (only on front of Hermione, anyway) and helped them out in Potions. But, could they really start trusting him now?

"I don't know, Hermione," Ron digressed. "You know, I really think Harry and I should discuss this."

"Fine, I'll wait," Hermione retorted, viciously flipping open the large heavy tome which was her Arithmancy textbook. "Tell me when you've gotten over your puerility."

Ron snorted as he got up grumpily. Harry followed him out of the study area in the library. Settling themselves on the staircases, they huddled together and discussed about Draco.

Draco signed off. He read the note once through before folding it. Gathering his books, he cut his eyes across the Great Hall, looking out for any familiar faces in Gryffindor. He caught sight of a small red-haired girl. Without haste, he ran after her.

"Weasley! Ginny Weasley! Wait up!" he called out.

Ginny paused, turning around. Her friends glanced at the advancing Draco quizzically. Not unlike them, Ginny was wondering what Draco wanted with her, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

He handed her the folded note. "Could you pass this to Hermione? Don't lose it, alright? Thanks."

Ginny nodded. Looking slightly embarrassed, Draco walked away, heading for the Heads' room. He felt awkward, asking a Weasley to do a favour for him. After all, he had been horrid to them, and used to consider them blood traitors.

He cast his feelings aside and thought of what he was going to say to Hermione. Draco beamed slightly. He hoped she would not be too taken aback by his words. He was tired of hiding his feelings away. Even when they were studying together in the Heads' Common Room, he ended up staring at her rather than listening to her explanation for the transfiguration of humans into animals.

"Hello, Malfoy," an all-too-familiar voice ended Draco's thoughts.

"Hello, Blaise," Draco replied, equally cool. "Anything I can help you with?"

Blaise stepped out of the shadows so he was standing directly in front of Draco, face to face. He gazed at his former friend steadily. Draco was not the least inundated. He held Blaise's gaze, lifting an eyebrow slightly, a small sign of his inarguable superiority over the student population.

"I have something to tell you," Blaise started seriously. "You know, we Slytherins have a problem in saying this word, but if I don't say it, I'm going to feel guilty. So you'd better hear me out."

Ginny skirted past her brother and Harry, who were acutely aware that they were hampering the stairway. She kicked Ron on purpose, much to his disdain.

"Oi! Are you blind?" Ron shouted. "That was on purpose, wasn't it? Wait till Mom hears about this."

"Well, if you had kept to the one side, I wouldn't have kicked you," she shot back. When she noticed Harry, she blushed, "Sorry, Harry. Didn't see you there. I was only scolding Ron, not you. Guess I'd better go."

Ron stared after her. "Did you see that?" he blurted out furiously. "She's so ridiculous! She scolds me for blocking the stairs, but she apologises to you? I know she's your girlfriend, but seriously, Harry. She's gone cuckoo!"

Luckily for Ron, Ginny was far enough not to hear his words. Her eyes scanned the study area, trying to find Hermione. She finally caught sight of her bushy-haired friend burying her face in a book.

"This is for you," Ginny announced, proudly handing the folded note Hermione. She sat down and whispered, "It's from Malfoy."

Upon hearing his name, Hermione slammed her book shut, frantically reaching out for the note. With trembling hands, she unfolded the note to read what Draco had written:

Could you meet me at the Heads' room now? There's something I want to tell – and give – you. It's a special surprise, I promise.

Your friend,

Draco Malfoy

"What did he write?" Ginny asked excitedly.

A small smile played on Hermione's lips. She simply handed the note to Ginny to read it. At 'special surprise', her eyebrows shot up. Ginny returned the note to Hermione, smiling slyly.

"What have you done to Malfoy and where have you hidden the old one?" Ginny teased. At Hermione's broader smile, she prodded, "I'm serious, Hermione. He sounded so…changed."

"Well, that's because he's changed," Hermione agreed. At her next words, she blushed, "You know, if you actually spend time to sit around and get to know him, you'd be surprised how sweet and nice he really can be. I mean, sure, he's more or less cynical, but still …"

Ginny gaped at Hermione in disbelief. This was the first time she ever heard Hermione positively commenting Draco. Seeing Hermione smiling and blushing, she sensed that there was more than meet the eye.

"Admit it now, Hermione," Ginny pressed on. "You like Malfoy. No girl in the right mind will talk about him like that."

"I – well, uh…" Hermione attempted to deny but failed miserably. "You could put it that way."

Ginny resisted the urge to shriek. Instead, she grabbed Hermione by the wrist and ran out of the study area. She took in amouthful of air to calm herself down.

"Your hair's in place, your clothes are neat," she scrutinised Hermione quickly before shoving her towards the stairs. "Now go and see him!"

Hermione flashed a shy smile at Ginny before she took off. Ron called out after her but Ginny silenced him.

"We still haven't decided if we'll accept Malfoy as our friend!" he protested.

"You can tell her that later," Ginny remarked absently. Deep down, she was brimming with excitement for Hermione. She wondered what was the surprise Draco had in store for her friend.

"Listen, Malfoy," Blaise continued. "I'm… well…I'm sorry. I mean, you're my friend but I denigrated you, called you a Death Eater, flashed the finger. I was irate, you know, after hearing what happened last year. I don't like Dumbledore, but I'd never kill him.not that you would, of course, but knowing that your Dad's a Death Eater…"

Blaise ended off weakly, "Well, if you want to punch my face, go ahead."

Draco persisted to keep a straight face. Blaise had apologised to him. It seemed so surreal. When Blaise had been completely mean to him, Draco had to admit that he felt a twinge of hurt. Crabbe and Goyle were just brainless if not, loyal, acolytes of his, but Blaise was one of those few human beings he actually regarded as a friend.

"Sure, I'll punch you," Draco grinned. "On the fist."

Blaise broke out into a wide grin. Whistling happily, the two boys connected their fists, reviving their spark of friendship. Draco was relieved that he had won back his friend's trust. They walked along the corridor, updating each other about their lives. The Slytherin Quidditch team had a new Seeker, a lean boy from the fourth year. Thanks to him, the Slytherin team had thrashed both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff with whopping two hundred plus – nil wins.

When Blaise told him that he was seeing a fifth-year Slytherin girl, Draco suddenly remembered his note, "Speaking of girls, if I don't make it to the Heads' room, I'll be late for my date!"

"Who's the lucky girl?" Blaise tried to fish for information. "It's not Pansy, isn't it?"

Draco shook his head in disgust. "Nah," he drawled. "But if I tell you who she is, you'd either not believe me or you wouldn't like her."

"That's for me to decide," Blaise commented, intrigued. "Who's the girl?"

Draco still refused to tell him. Instead, he said, "If she says yes, I'll tell you."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 

Hermione burst into the Heads' room, her cheeks flushed from running all the way up here. She ran a hand over her hair, smoothing down any stray locks of hair. She tried not to think of the surprise Draco had in store for her; she was not going to let him know just how excited she was about this meeting. She was about to call out his name but immediately discarded her wish once she saw him.

He was lounging on the floor, facing the fireplace. The warm, amber-red flames cast their shadows on his pale face, defining his sharp cheekbones. The light seemed to alter the colour of his eyes, shifting through different shades of grey at different angles. At a certain angle, his eyes were silver, speaking deeply of the elegance and eloquence that came so naturally to his family. Once viewed from the opposite angle, those very eyes became enfolded with dark grey, this time emanating with hidden endearment and rarely-portrayed loneliness.

Draco must have noticed her presence because he turned around slowly and greeted her sotto voce, "Hey. You're here."

Hermione smiled warmly in reply. She sat down beside him, noticing two glasses half-filled with sparkling liquid delicately placed between them. A medium-sized box of chocolate truffles gave it the finishing touch. All the ambience lacked was a long mahogany table with lacy tablecloth and pewter candleholders. Draco offered her the drink as he reached out for his fifteenth truffle.

"Irish springwater," he told her, taking a sip from his own glass. "And help yourself to the truffles too. I've specially ordered it from Italy."

She picked one up and popped it into her mouth. While Hermione was busy trying to think of a word to define the chocolate's taste, Draco took the opportunity to say, "If Professor McGonagall hadn't banned all the Hogsmeade visits, I'd have chosen to meet you in a much nicer place. Like a restaurant, maybe. But I hope that this … meeting will be memorable. I mean, how often do you have a supper date in front of a fireplace?"

Hermione almost choked on her drink. This is a date? Her heart repetitively convinced her brain that this was not a dream. I'm on a date – with Draco?

If Hermione had accidentally portrayed her emotions in any way, Draco chose not to notice it. He plucked the glass and truffle from her hands and placed it on the mantelpiece with a few _Wingardium Leviosa_s. When that was done, Draco reached out for her hands and clasped them in his.

"You can call me whatever you want afterwards, but listen, Hermione," Draco felt unsure how to start. "I have been absolutely mean and rude towards you all these years. Teasing you about your hair, calling you Mudblood, hurting your feelings at every chance that I get … I'm sorry that I've been horrible to you. I wish I didn't have to be such a prick, but I didn't have a choice. It became much harder for me when … when …"

"When what?" Hermione half-whispered, enthralled by those pale eyes which captured her gaze.

Draco swallowed hard. "It became much harder for me when I found out that I've fallen in love with you."

Hermione froze. "I … but… how…" she was too stunned to even successfully form a sentence. Instead, she just looked wildly at him, hinting that he had to explain this to her.

"Well, you see, I think I started liking you somewhere in the 2nd year," he started nervously. "I was jealous of you because you beat me at almost everything. And somewhere along the way of proving that I'm much cleverer than you, I sort of got attracted to you. But I didn't really think much of it because I was just twelve then, wasn't I? And you're a Muggle, so that prejudice didn't really make me think clearly."

Draco quickly summarized all the other events and how he felt leading all the way to their sixth year. He had went out with Pansy Parkinson because firstly, his mother approved of her and secondly, he was too immature back then to figure out that hating Muggles was not getting him anywhere. Also, he went to the Yule Ball with Pansy with hopes of making Hermione jealous, which of course did not work out. Hermione listened intently, still at loss for words.

Draco pulled out an oblong box from behind him. It was plated with pewter, with silver streaked across it in random swirls. Amethysts, diamonds and rubies dotted the lid, creating a border around a vaguely familiar crest. Draco lifted the lid to reveal an I.D. bracelet which was sitting comfortably on plush black velvet. He took it out and held it before Hermione.

Even though he had been rehearsing these lines for over a week, he still had difficulty in finally saying, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

It took Hermione less than half a second to say yes. Draco could not resist a smirk as he clasped the bracelet around her wrist. It seemed like a dream: Draco Malfoy, possibly the most wealthiest and (to his belief) good-looking Hogwarts student of Pureblood ancestry, had won over the heart of Hermione Granger, the smartest Muggle ever to attend Hogwarts. While he was reveling in his accidental feat, his new girlfriend rattled off a long list of conditions he would have to try and fulfill as part of their relationship.

However, Draco was not loving her suggestions. Some of them included not being very egoistical and not being overly vain about his looks. The worst was to stop calling others names, especially Harry and Ron. As soon as Hermione said it, he had deemed it impossible. After all, he was only being nice to them for Hermione's sake. He had no wish to add Harry and Ron to his list of best friends which only contained Blaise's name so far.

"I'll never be friends with Potty and Wease – oh, alright, _Potter and Weasley_," Draco objected, addressing Harry and Ron by their actual last names sardonically at Hermion's glare. "Hell, you know what? I don't think I can stop calling people names. It's not just a habit; it's become something of a hobby for me."

"Draco …" Hermione warned him, her tone low and deadly.

"Alright, alright," he relented, a hint of reluctance tugging at his voice. His demeanor was sulking now. "I'll _try_."

Only in front of you, he wanted to add but he bit back his tongue. Draco usually enjoyed having petty arguments since they always seemed to be in his favour, but he wisely decided that a quarrel was not really a good way to officiate a relationship. Worst still, he might be on the losing end.

"Serpens Nisi Serpentem Comderit Non Fit Draco," Hermione read out the wordings on the bracelet, which she suspected, was inscribed in molten emerald.

"A serpent must have devoured another serpent before he is worthy to be called a dragon," Draco explained wearily, as if he had said it each time somebody questioned him about his name. "Don't ask me why; according to Mother, that was written in my prophecy. Ask me the what because I can tell you right now."

Hermione took up the challenge, "What?"

Gesticulating grandly at the Bracelet, Draco said, "That was my first birthday present by Mother. She wouldn't say where she got it from, but she did tell me that this was made of _pure_ silver and yes, _emerald_. Father paid for it, though. Cost him quite a sizeable amount of Galleons, I believe. It was very precious to me. But now it's become more priceless because _you_'re wearing it."

Hermione was about to admit that she found his pride of being a Pureblood revolting, but she had to smile at the last sentence. It seemed to be atypical character trait of the new Draco, unbearably obnoxious at first, but mellowed down to honeyed words toward the end. Although she was accepatable of his slightly deflated self-centredness now, she was still hoping to flatten it further.

To speed up his gloating ceremony, she pointed towards the crest. "What is that? A family crest?" As she continued to stare at it, she knew why she found it familiar: in some ways, it resembled the Blacks' family crest.

Draco smiled at her thoughts. "Yes, it's the Malfoys' family crest," he confirmed, standing up as he did so. "As to why it resembled the Blacks', I think you should know that the Blacks and the Malfoys are two of the most oldest Pureblood families. Both are equally respected, and may be considered allies in some way or another. I'll show you the family tree."

Hermione gaped at him. "But I didn't say it resembled the Blacks'!"

Another smirk graced Draco's reply, "Legilimency and Occulumency comes hand in hand; you can't master one without grasping the other."

Hermione lingered behind him as he took out a rolled-up parchment from his trunk. He rapped the parchment with his wand, muttering some inaudible spell and the parchment evolved into a huge screen such that they could see the photographs of each and every member of Draco's family. Waving his wand over the screen, the blotted out members became clear again. Hermione swore she saw Phineas Nigellus among the masses. Her eyes trailed down to see Bellatrix Lestrange before she was captured and imprisoned in Azkaban. She had the aristocratic good looks with her heavily-lidded eyes and lustrous dark hair. Her smile was haughty but not quite insane like in the present.

Next to Bellatrix was another mistress of the Black family, a cross between the dark Bellatrix and the pale Narcissa. She was one of the blotted out members. Written below her picture was the name Andromeda Black, who was married to a Muggle, Ted Tonks. And Draco's blotted out cousin turned out to be a certain Auror named Nymphadora Tonks.

The whole frame was ironic. Although the family boasted a former Hogwarts headmaster, Harry's godfather and an Auror, the number of Death Eaters in the family had shamed them. Hermione wondered if she should cast a charm to auto-sort them into Death Eaters and the good ones.

"Having Tonks as your cousin …" Hermione breathed, still in awe of the extensive family lines. "That's like having an Auror by your side 24/7. When you were on the run … why didn't you look for her?"

"I didn't know she exists," Draco replied sullenly. "She's a half-blood; no one really talks about Andromeda. And even if I did look for Tonks, do you really think that she'd fuss over me, get me a mug of tea and protect the nephew and son of Death Eaters who had a hand in Sirius's death?"

Hermione could not find any answer to that question. Leaving her besotted with the Blacks, Draco shifted his attention towards a blonde, pale witch and an equally pale wizard with white-blond hair. His fingers traced her name: Narcissa Black. He looked at the photograph of the witch, her long blonde hair cascading gracefully over her eyes and shoulders. Her eyes peeked coquettishly at him, her sharp nose slightly upturned. Draco knew she would have looked much more beautiful if she was not sneering in the photo.

The longer he stared at the picture, he sensed it transforming into another picture of the same woman. With each passing second, dread filled itself in his body. A long, bloody gash ran from the woman's cheek down to her chin. The blonde hair was in a mess, undoubtedly caked in dried blood. Her lips were cut and swollen. The details kept swimming around in front of Draco until he heard the woman shout, "Stop it!"

Everything that Draco had been trying to forget flooded back into his head. The Cruciatus Curse inflicted on him, his mother's multiple Sectumsempra wounds, Voldemort's cold laughter … and his mother's corpse hanging from the wall of his dungeon, excruciatingly brought back to life with every flick of Voldemort's wand which was aimed at Draco. The pain he saw his dead mother went through.

The screen folded and rolled itself back into a parchment, which Draco threw into his trunk and slammed it shut. His sudden action startled Hermione. She looked at him with big worried eyes.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Hermione asked immediately.

Her boyfriend was silent. Gently steering her towards the door, he finally said, "I love you, Hermione, but I think that it's time you go to bed. Goodnight."

Before she could open her mouth to wish him goodnight as well, Draco closed the door in her face.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 

The next morning, Hermione found that Draco was not in his room. He was not even in the Great Hall. However, she was slightly comforted by the fact that he was still in Hogwarts after seeing him rush into the Ancient Runes classroom, jarringly late by twenty minutes. Unlike usual, he sat alone at the back of the classroom while Hermione had claimed her seat at the other end. Throughout the whole day, he was silent. The only occasion when he spoke was to apologise to the various teachers for being late for all their classes.

Perplexed, Hermione had decided to go up to him and question his strange behaviour. She never got the answer, though. Just like he was the last student to arrive for lessons, he was also the first to leave the classrooms. Every time Draco skulked past her without so much of a glance, Hermione grew more worried.

She told all of this to her friends. Ginny and Harry seemed equally concerned but Ron shared no such feelings. After hearing that Hermione and Draco was now a couple, he had lost all cheeriness. Sullen, sharp words were used to fire criticism at Draco at every chance he got. If compiled, his list of foul ranting on Draco would have tripled Hermione's worry.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Hermione was clearly upset. "We were looking at his family tree – the Blacks in particular – and I was simply talking about Tonks when he went all gloomy on me."

Ron sneered, "You must have enjoyed studying his family line. At your last count, how many of his family members are Death Eaters?"

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione bristled furiously as she blinked back tears. "Why can't you understand? Why are you being so unreasonable?"

"Unreasonable?" Ron thundered. "What's bloody unreasonable about making you realize that he doesn't really love you? He's just trying to gain your sympathy!"

"You have no right, absolutely no right, to talk about him like that," Hermione said quietly. "If you don't like him, just say it. I won't let you disgrace him in any way."

"Of course I don't like Malfoy!" he blurted out angrily. "How can I, when in truth, I like you, Hermione!"

She stared at him coldly. "If you had admitted it earlier, I'd probably accepted you. I won't deny that I used to like you very much. But you never said anything and I got over it. But I love Draco, and that's why he's my boyfriend. Ron, I don't care how many people you want to besmirch, bad-mouth or embarrass; that's your business. You're my friend and I don't want to do this, but I'm warning you. Don't you dare desecrate my boyfriend."

Hermione's dark reminder stalled any words from reaching Ron's brain. Looking away, possibly out of shame at how much his words had stung Hermione, he inched away from the group and briskly walked off, leaving Ginny and Harry to stare after him. Hermione could not help but feel a slight pang of guilt.

"Was I too hard on him?" she asked out loud, almost ruefully.

"Never mind him," Ginny quickly dismissed. Hermione has had enough on her mind right now. "He's just being very immature; he'll get over it, don't worry. Just put Phlegm's sister in front of him for the next two weeks and he'll be fine."

A small smile twitched Harry's lips as he imagined the scene. "Somehow, I don't think Mrs Weasley would like another Fleur in the household."

"I don't think I'll like it either, seeing Gabrielle flitting around with her French accent," Ginny said thoughfully, shaking her head. "Zat will be 'orrrible, to quote Phlegm."

At that, Harry and Hermione burst into laughter. For a while, Hermione forgot all about her worries and guilt as she pictured Mrs Weasley's reaction at having another of the Delacour's sister in the house. She would certainly hunt for some other girl, just like she had done with Bill. Of course, Tonks's presence did not deter Fleur from getting married to Bill. The whole plan looked hilarious now, especially since Tonks was in love with Lupin.

Somewhere at the back of her mind, Draco's image still persisted. Hermione sighed exasperatedly. She would find out what caused Draco to change drastically overnight. Nobody would suddenly be very cold towards you the next day for no reason. Something was definitely wrong.

Draco was perched on a stool he had conjured out of nowhere in the boys' bathroom, absently flicking his wand at the toilet bowl in the cubicle facing him. He filled it with soap, transfigured it into a turtle, a sponge or played around with colours. It should have been entertaining but Draco felt no such thing.

"You're making me all confused," a shrill yet melancholic voice complained.

"Hello, Myrtle," Draco addressed the voice, not looking up.

Moaning Myrtle floated in front of him, peering curiously at him from behind her glasses. She studied the sleek blond hair and the pale complexion. When she finally recognized him, she gave a scream of delight.

"You came to see me!" she said happily. Then her smile faltered as upon seeing his troubled face. "You came with problems again, didn't you? Just like last year."

"The problems are still there," he said softly. His wand slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor. Bowing his head, he absorbed himself in his thoughts. "They've never gone away."

Perhaps he was too immersed in his feelings to actually think about what he had gone through. He had almost forgotten why he had decided to come back to Hogwarts. It was not entirely to complete his education; it was more for protection. Professor McGonagall had accepted him back into the school more for the latter. She was not too delighted with the idea of having a student being killed by Voldemort. Hogwarts was safe enough for him.

But Draco's fear just increased. He had run away from Voldemort, and there was no doubt that Voldemort was hunting him down. Although he was not Marked yet, he knew too much about Voldemort and his Death Eaters. What they have done and who were classified in his legions of followers.

"He'll find me," he whispered, utterly terrified. "He'll hunt me down … he'll find me here … he'll take her from me …"

This interested Myrtle and prompted her to say, "He'll take who from you?"

Draco appeared not to hear what she was saying. "No … I'm not going to lose her!" Myrtle flinched as his pained voice had risen sharply. "I love her … I can't lose her! I've lost my family … I'm not ready for another loss. I don't even want anymore deaths!"

"Are those people still bullying you?" Moaning Myrtle stage-whispered. Pursing his lips unwittingly, Draco nodded. He looked helplessly at her, as if hoping that the ghost could offer him a solution. Shaking her head, she floated towards the toilet bowl Draco had been transfiguring earlier on. "How much longer do you want to be bullied?"

She gave a loud wail of anguish before exiting the bathroom through the toilet bowl with a loud splash. _How much longer?_ Draco thought grimly. He sat and stared at his reflection in the mirror, simultaneously indulging in his vanity and deciding what he was going to do. By the time he was satisfied with the way his white-gold hair fell above his eyes, he had made his decision.

Harry, Hermione and Ginny continued their banter as they walked along the corridors. Both Fleur and Gabrielle were not spared as Ginny incessantly mocked their French- accented English. Not only that, she thought of pretending to saunter like the Delacour sisters but decided against it.

"It doesn't look human," she had reasoned.

The trio was in the midst of laughter when the door of the boys' bathroom they were walking past flew open. A boy hurried out of it but stopped short upon seeing them. Or rather, upon seeing Hermione. Without warning, he rushed up to her and bent down his head to kiss her on the lips. In between those kisses, he murmured over and over again, "I'm sorry. Hermione. I'm really, really sorry. Forgive me."

She pulled away from his kiss but did not break away from his embrace. Pretending to be angry, she said, "Well, you should be! If you have problems, Draco, tell me. Don't leave me in the dark. Don't make me worry."

Draco held back a laugh as he traced his fingers along her cheeks. Gripping her in an even tighter embrace, he brushed his lips against her brown hair, breathing in the strawberry scent of her shampoo.

"I promise," he said more firmly now. "It's just that … when I saw my mother's picture, I suddenly remembered … well, you know what. Only then I realized how precocious our relationship is. I love you, and I don't want to lose you like how I lost my mother. And also, I'm pretty scared that he'll hunt me down and eventually, kill me."

He kissed her one more time before turning to Harry. "Listen. I know you're going to destroy Voldemort," Draco said matter-of-factly, draping his arm around Hermione's waist. "You're in the process of finding the Horcruxes, aren't you? You can't do it alone. No way. You don't know what goes around in his circle."

"But you do?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"I've never liked you, Potter. But I'm helping you out for the first and last time in my life. Before your head balloons up and you think that I've admitted you my superior –which will never happen, of course– you ought to know that I'm only doing this for myself. I've got a score to settle with him."

Harry gritted his teeth. Draco Malfoy might have been more human now, but his ostentatious, haughty self still remained. His words were patronizing; Harry felt that Draco was making him out to be the inferior being. Accepting Draco's help would only mean that he also accepted Draco to be his superior. Harry was not very happy with this but he still had enough logic to agree with Draco's stand. To defeat Voldemort, he would need all the help he could get.

"Consider it a done deal," Harry agreed to Draco's help. Then he lowered his voice dangerously, "But if I ever find out that you betray us, Malfoy, I swear I will track you down and kill you."

Draco smirked. "You know, I'm not _that_ stupid, Potter."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 

For the next few weeks, they were bogged down with so much homework that they just could not find the time to sit down and discuss about Voldemort. Hermione and Draco tested one each other on Ancient Runes. Harry concentrated on Transfiguration while helping Ginny out with her workload, mostly teaching her about Potions. By the time they actually freed themselves of school, it was the Christmas holidays. As usual, Harry and Ron were whisked off to the Burrow. Hermione had planned to spend Christmas with her parents. However, her parents were required to attend an international dentist conference in Shanghai, leaving her to stay in Hogwarts with Draco. She had decided to spend the holidays to their advantage by researching and plotting strategies against Voldemort.

As promised, Draco had told Blaise about Hermione. His friend was quite surprised that he chose a Muggleborn as his girlfriend. For years he was led to believe that Draco abhorred Muggles. So when he was told of this news, Blaise felt quite relieved because he could finally admit his appreciation of Muggle literature. There was no need to hide those books from Draco.

"There's absolutely nothing in this book that's even remotely useful to us!" Hermione slammed the book shut and tossed it onto a pile of books she and Draco had gone through. "I can't believe it!"

Draco smiled wearily at her, closing the reference book he was forced to read. He had expected the whole research idea to bear no fruit; how could she expect to find more about Voldemort through books? The only thing that was written in all the books was that Lord Voldemort was a very evil Dark wizard who had killed a lot of people but lost his powers when he tried to kill Harry Potter. Draco could not see any sense in writing all that facts in books; it was practically a fairytale.

He reached out for her hand, rubbing his thumb over her fingers. As he spoke, his eyes shone mischievously, "Say, do you want to take a break?"

Hermione sighed, "Why not? I don't think my brain can take it anymore. Imagine, we went through nearly thirty books but what did we get? Nothing!"

Draco kissed her silent as he gathered her in his arms. His kiss melted away all her frustrations and tiredness. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, willing him to deepen his kiss. He did so and their kiss became more passionate as they surrendered to the flame of love engulfing the room. Finally, they pulled apart, gasping for breath.

"Energized now?" Draco whispered hoarsely, smiling as he pressed their foreheads together.

Hermione laughed as she playfully pushed him away. How she loved him so. He made her feel secure, and although she knew he had meant it as a joke, his kiss did make her feel energized. She never knew that love could be so amazing.

"Okay, let's get back to work," she announced, returning to her seat. "We'll finish up these books and call it a day."

"Forget the books," Draco replied curtly. "I think it's better if we learn how to defend ourselves against the Dark Arts. Not the sort they teach us in school, but more crucial ones. Like the Unforgivable Curses."

Hermione considered his idea. There was some truth in it. No one was going to care how much they know about Voldemort or every person he had killed when they were on the battlefield. Survival was the cardinal that mattered. Either they win the battle of life or they die.

"And I think that we'll be more formidable if we can rally together others who are brave enough to face him," Draco carried on, an idea forming in his mind. "People who want to avoid this War, and end all this fear. Unsuspecting people."

She caught his drift. "Students," she solved his riddle. "You're suggesting that we form an alliance with Hogwarts's students."

"Not just any students," Draco pointed out. "Only those who have faced him or the Death Eaters and know how to defend themselves. There's no time for training."

Hermione finalized her decision. She understood his whole idea. She agreed slowly, "I know who should join us. Both are from Gryffindor, though."

"I think Blaise will like this idea as well," he added. At Hermione's look, he said, "What? A Slytherin don't deserve to be in this group?"

She rolled her eyes but took out a parchment and quill anyway. Both of them scratched down the names of the people who they wanted to be involved in the alliance. Hermione had divided the parchment into two columns and emblazoned the top of each column with the Gryffindor and the Slytherin badge. Seeing the lion and serpent throwing each other dagger looks, she wondered if co-operation was possible between the two houses. Still, she trusted Draco' opinion.

Draco held up the completed list to read it through again. There would be eight people in the group, if all of them agreed to the plan. Well, five if the three invited people turned down their offer. But for now, their job today was done.

Harry, Ron and Ginny raced up the steps, speeding for the Room of Requirement. After intense wishing for the room to appear, which it finally did, Harry pulled open the doors and rushed in. The Weasleys siblings followed suit. The room did not have a lot of furniture, except for chairs and a large round table.

Seated at the table were the other members of the group. Aside from Draco and Hermione, the others included Neville, Luna and strangely, Blaise. Somehow, they all looked like the Motley crew. Neville and Luna might look weak, but Harry had witnessed their bravery as they stood to fight by him from time to time. As for Blaise, Harry might as well completely hang himself for completely believing his archrival's judgement. Maybe it was due to the fact that Hermione was Draco's girlfriend.

"Well, now that Potter's here, can we start?" Draco asked impatiently. He winced as Hermione pinched his arm as a painful reminder to be polite.

Ron took his seat beside Harry, facing Hermione. He had gotten over his feeling s for her. In fact, he was now crazy over someone else. Apparently, Ginny's plan worked out. In one of her letters to Hermione over the holidays, she had written, "Ron goes around the house wearing cologne. Every hour he goes 'Gabrielle likes my cologne' or 'Gabrielle's just so beautiful – the way she walks, her accent…hell, I think she's prettier than Fleur.' Gabrielle this, Gabrielle that…he's driving me and Mum mad!"

Harry glanced at Draco coolly before speaking up, "Well, Ron, Hermione and I have managed to destroy two more Horcruxes over the holidays. We know that the last Horcrux is possibly Voldemort himself, but we still don't know where the others are. So -"

"One of them is in this school," Draco cut in almost indifferently. At Harry's blank look, he snorted, "The scar's really affecting your brain, isn't it? Think, Potter! If Voldemort has Horcruxes from the other two houses, there has to be one from Gryffindor. Merlin! Don't tell me you need a Slytherin to do your thinking now?"

Harry restrained Ron who was now on the brink of punching Draco's smug face. The redhead never took insinuation well, whether it was aimed at him or any of his friends. However, Draco's words set Harry thinking. A Horcrux in the school in the form of a Gryffindor trophy? As far as he was concerned, there was only one such possession and it was the Gryffindor sword. Even then, it was safely ensconced in the Headmistress's office.

"How can you be so sure?" Harry queried.

"I didn't say it was a guess; I'm saying it **_is_** in Hogwarts," Draco replied irritably. "I have ears, Potter. I overheard him telling that beloved snake of his."

Draco's declaration provoked whispers among the rest of the group members. Harry was busy deciding whether to believe Draco or not, discussing the options with Ron and Ginny. Ginny was prepared to give Draco the benefit of the doubt. Ron kept reminding Harry that Draco was just brainless. In the end, Harry had to make his own decision. He glanced at Draco. He was talking to Hermione, his face a mask of seriousness. Neville and Luna were caught up in their own conversation while Blaise was flicking through a novel which Harry suspected was A Tale Of Two Cities.

"Alright, I'll check out the sword to see if it's really a Horcrux," Harry spoke. Thw whispers receded like the sea at low tide. "But I doubt so."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you, it is the Horcrux. But whatever. You settle the Gryffindor Horcrux, I'll try to find out about the other one. We destroy these Horcruxes, do our N.E.W.T.S, find and kill Voldemort and be hailed as heroes. How's the plan?"

Blaise looked up from his book, eyeing his friend craftily. Was he serious or was he simply being cynical? It was hard to tell with Draco. Sometimes, Draco's complex personality puzzled him greatly.

"How're you gonna find out about the other Horcrux?" Blaise voiced out for the first time during the meeting.

"I have my own ways. But firstly, we split up into two groups."


End file.
